A common problem encountered when eating an ice cream cone is that, especially in extremely hot weather, the ice cream tends to melt faster than one can consume it. Consequently, ice cream tends to run down the side of the cone and onto the consumers' hand creating an unsanitary, sticky mess. Also, melted ice cream running down the side of the cone tends to absorb into the cone causing the cone to become soggy, harder to handle, and overall less enjoyable.
The most commonly attempted solution to this problem is to wrap a napkin around the cone. Although using a napkin in this manner may tend to mitigate some of the problems associated with a melting ice cream cone, the napkin absorbs melting ice cream such that the consumer still comes into contact with the ice cream absorbed into the napkin as does the ice cream cone, although perhaps to a lesser degree.
It is also common to purchase pre-made frozen ice cream cone products that are individually contained in a paper sleeve that encases both the cone and the ice cream thereon. The paper is torn away from the ice cream that tops the cone, while the paper sleeve is left surrounding the cone. These sleeves are no more effective than the napkin because the ice cream simply melts down the side of the paper sleeve creating the same problems.
In response to the problems associated with melting ice cream cones, and due to the fact that the commonly employed napkin and paper sleeve fail to substantially alleviate these problems, various cone holders and drip-collector devices have been developed. However, these prior art devices are somewhat cumbersome, not disposable, and generally impractical to use, and thus they have not met with wide-spread adoption and use.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed toward providing an improvement over the prior art in the area of ice cream cone holders and drip collectors. Specifically, there is a need in the art for an ice cream cone holder and drip collector device that can be conveniently packaged in high density or as part of a pre-made frozen ice cream cone product, that is inexpensive to manufacture, that is disposable, that can be quickly dispensed from its packaged arrangement and fitted to the ice cream cone, and that can substantially protect the cone itself from the deleterious effects that melting ice cream tends to have on the cone. The prior art devices, while individually addressing one or more of these concerns, have failed to provide a device that addresses all of them so as to provide a device that is practical for wide spread use. Thus, there exists a need in the art for an ice cream cone holder and drip catcher device that incorporates all of the above-referenced characteristics into its design, and such a device is disclosed herein.